This is the inspiring story of how the people (the heroes) of Gander (a town of barely 10,000) cared for nearly 7,000 passengers with gestures of friendship, acts of kindness, and attitudes of goodwill at a moment’s notice. Lisa Repo-Martell gave one of the most memorable performances during the film with lots of control and presence.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9 11 in Gander [PDF] [EPUB] The Day the World Came to Town: 9 11 in Gander

What occurred over the succeeding four days was an outpouring of what could be termed hospitality, although that word is barely adequate to cover the actions of Gander’s citizens. Catholic church parishioners lead by Beulah Cooper and Tom Mercer opening their doors and homes to stranded Aer Lingus passengers, showing compassion to Dennis and Hannah O’Donohue, whose son Kevin was among the NY firefighters assigned to cover the Twin Towers.And Baldessarini understood that he was a witness to it and it was affecting him in ways he’s never imagined. The widows of these soldiers are still living in our community and we honor their sacrifice every December. This book captures the unparalleled kindness a small town extended to those in need, to those stranded, to those enduring the hardship of being grounded far from home when the towers fell.

The Day the World Came to Town Quotes - Goodreads The Day the World Came to Town Quotes - Goodreads

It is amazing the number of details that had to be addressed – just getting over six thousand extra people housed and fed was a massive task.

We learn that many passengers gave donations as a thank you to the people who had looked after them so well and the head of the Rockefeller Foundation (a stranded passenger) arranged a large donation for Gander’s school and church. Gander has a population of 10,000, and it sounds like every single citizen, along with the people of all the surrounding, much smaller towns as well, threw open the doors to the strandees. Tired, confused, disorientated and afraid, they were all met by volunteers from Gander and surrounding communities as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon.

The Day the World Came to Town - Wikipedia

One of the most interesting subplots was the story of Jamal Hassani, played by Anousha Alamian and his struggle as a minority, which felt real and honest and gave the film such humanity, that it was thrilling to watch. You might be interested in the musical: Come From Away (based on the events in Gander) currently streaming on AppleTV+. They do absolutely nothing to dispel the popular conception that Canadians are a bunch of amiable bumpkins.The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede tells the story of how a town of 10,000 Canadians rallied around more than 6000 strangers whose flights were redirected to their town when airspace closed over America on Sept. Gander is a hard-working, fun-loving community composed of friendly and generous people who meet at the local Tim Horton’s or bar for a drink and an exchange of local news and gossip. This is the true story of neighbors being neighborly, going above and beyond, and proving there is still goodness in the world. Over 40 planes, with more than 6,000 people, were suddenly on their way to a place that many of those people had probably never heard of.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

What a wonderful book that tells the story of the town of Gander, Newfoundland when over 30 planes were diverted to this remote area on 9/11.Having just seen the Broadway musical Come From Away, which I absolutely loved, I wanted to learn more about this historic moment. The surprise came when relationships were formed, friendships cultivated, and no lack of understanding to specific needs of their guests. Some charities set up befriending services but they had to go through protocols so it took time – in the meantime neighbours just got together and did it all via What’s App. It is difficult to not feel the anxiety of Hannah and Dennis O’Rourke, parents awaiting word about their son, a New York City firefighter.